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THE DAY OF SMALL THINGS. 



CENTENNIAL DISCOURSE, 

DELIVERED IN NORTHBOROUGH, JUNE 1, 1846, 

IN COMMEMORATION OP THE 

ORGANIZATION OF THE FIRST CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH IN THAT PLACE, 

'4?NJl THE 

ORDINATION OF THEIR FIRST MINISTER,* ONE HUNDRED YEARS AGO. 

WITH AN APPENDIX. 



By JOSEPH ALLEN, 

THE THIRD MINISTER IN SUCCESSION OP SAID CHURCH. 



PUBLISHED BY REQUEST. 



BOSTON : 

WM. CROSBY AND H. P. NICHOLS, 
118 Washington Street. 

1846. 









y 



JAfi 3 1908 






CAMBRIDGE: 

MET CALF AND COMPANY, 

PK1NTBRS TO THE JNIVEHSITY. 



DISCOURSE, 



Who hath despised the day of small things? — Zechariah iv. 10. 

It is not wise to despise the day of small things. 
Momentous issues often arise from circumstances ot 
the most trivial nature. Great enterprises have had 
their origin in the meditations and consultations of a 
few obscure individuals. Revolutions in church and 
state have sprung from the workings of some single 
mind into which a new thought had been introduced. 

Who could have anticipated the result of the land- 
ing from the Mayflower on Plymouth Rock, in 1620, or 
of the expedition of the Genoese sailor, in 1492 ? 
Luther had no conception of the magnitude of the 
work he had undertaken, when, in 1517, he set at 
defiance the authority of the pope. It was a day of 
small things, when, eighteen centuries ago, a little 
band of Christian disciples met in an upper chamber 
in the city of Jerusalem, waiting in faith and hope for 
the fulfilment of the promise of their ascended Master. 
And, if I may be allowed to compare small things with 



great, it was a day of small things, when, one hundred 
years ago, this day, there was a gathering of other 
disciples in an unfinished building, that, in the midst 
of difficulties which it is impossible for us to appre- 
ciate, had just been erected near this spot, for the 
organization of a church and the ordination of its first 
minister. 

The building (forty-six feet by thirty-six) was at the 
time without pulpit, or galleries, or pews, or even per- 
manent floors, and was lighted only by openings in the 
unplastered walls. Here were gathered, as members 
of the ordaining council, venerable divines, with their 
delegates, from the neighbouring churches : Parkman 
of Westborough, Prentice of Lancaster, Cushing of 
Shrewsbury, Loring of Sudbury, Hall of Sutton, Gard- 
ner of Stow, and Barrett of Hopkinton. 

Here they sat, in the costume of the day; some 
relics of which continued till a period within the mem- 
ory of some of my hearers. Here the ceremonies of 
ordination took place, in the presence of a multitude 
whom the occasion had brought together. The text 
chosen by the preacher, Parkman of Westborough, at 
least the first clause of it, pronounced as it doubtless was 
in tones of dignity and authority, was well suited, as 
it was intended, to impress the hearers with the sacred- 
ness of the pastoral office, and to secure for him who 
was just entering upon it deference and honor due. 
It was from Hebrews xiii. 17: — "Obey them that 
have the rule over you, and submit yourselves; for 
they watch for your souls as they that must give ac- 



count, that they may do it with joy, and not with 
grief." * 

The Charge, by Prentice of Lancaster, from the age 
and character of the man, must have been grave, 
weighty, apostolic, yet breathing a gentle and catho- 
lic spirit ; " for they that knew him," says a contempo- 
rary divine, Hancock of Lexington,f " esteemed him 
for his piety, his probity, his peaceableness, and gen- 
tleness, and for his commendable steadiness in these 
uncertain times." He was of the old Puritan race, 
his father having been, it is said, one of Oliver Crom- 
well's body-guard. He was at this time sixty-four 
years old. 

The Fellowship of the Churches was by Cushing 
of Shrewsbury, " a man distinguished," to borrow the 
words of Dr. Sumner, his venerable successor, " for his 
prudence and general exemplary deportment." J 

We are not informed to whom the other parts of the 
ordination service were assigned; but, from the char- 
acter of the men in the council, we may conclude that 
those services were able and appropriate, and con- 
tributed to the interest and solemnity of the occasion. 

A church had been gathered on the same day, con- 
sisting of ten brethren, besides the pastor elect. Their 
names, in the order in which they stand in the church 
records, are as follows : — John Martyn, the pastor 
elect, Ephraim Allen, Joshua Dowsing, alias Townsend, 

* Mr. Parkman was then in the prime of life, being forty-four years old. 
t See Willard's History of Lancaster, Worcester Mag., Vol. II. p. 321. 
J Sumner's Half Century Sermon. 



John McAllister, Jonathan Livermore, afterwards Dea- 
con Livermore, Gershom Fay, father of the late Thad- 
deus Fay, Matthias Rice, afterwards Deacon Rice, 
Samuel Allen, father of the late Samuel Allen, Jacob 
Shephard, John Carruth, grandfather of the late Joseph 
and John Carruth, Silas Fay, a brother of Gershom 
Fay. The Covenant is as follows : — 

" Westborough Second Precinct Church Covenant, 
May 21, 1746. 

" We, whose names are hereafter subscribed, inhab- 
iting the Second Precinct in Westborough [now North- 
borough] in New England (knowing that we are very 
prone to offend and provoke the most high God, both in 
heart and life, through the prevalency of sin that dwel- 
leth in us, and manifold temptations from without us, 
for which we have great reason to be unfeignedly 
humbled before him from day to day), — 

" Do in the name of our Lord Jesus, with dependence 
upon the gracious assistance of his Holy Spirit, solemn- 
ly enter into a covenant with God and with one 
another, according to the will of God, as followeth : — 

" 1st. That, having chosen and taken the Lord Jeho- 
vah to be our God, we will fear him and cleave to him 
in love, and serve him in truth with all our hearts, giv- 
ing up ourselves to be his people, in all things to be 
at his direction and sovereign disposal, that we may 
have and hold communion with him, as members of 
Christ's mystical body, according to his revealed will, 
to our lives' end. 



"2ndly. We also oblige ourselves to bring up our 
children and servants in the knowledge and fear of 
God according to his holy institutions, and according 
to our best abilities, and, in special, by the use of or- 
thodox catechisms, that so the true religion may be 
maintained in our families while we live, and among 
such as shall live when we are dead. 

"3dly. We promise to keep close to the truth of 
Christ, endeavouring, with lively affection toward it in 
our hearts, to defend it against all opposers thereof, as 
God shall call us at any time thereunto; and for our 
help herein we resolve to use the Holy Scriptures as 
our platform (whereby we may discern the will of 
Christ), and not the new-found inventions of man. 

" 4thly. We also engage to have a careful inspection 
over our own hearts, so as to endeavour, by the virtue 
of the death of Christ, the mortification of our sinful 
passions, worldly frames, and disordered affections, 
whereby we may be withdrawn from the living God. 

" 5thly. We, moreover, oblige ourselves, in the faith- 
ful improvement of our abilities and opportunities, to 
worship God according to all the particular institutions 
of Christ under the gospel administration, — as, to give 
reverent attention to the word of God, to pray unto 
him, to sing his praises, and to hold communion with 
each other, in the use of both the seals of the cove- 
nant, Baptism and the Lord's Supper. 

" 6thly. We likewise promise that we will peaceably 
submit unto the holy discipline appointed by Christ 
in his church for offenders, obeying them that rule 
over us in the Lord. 



" 7thly. We also bind ourselves to walk in love one 
towards another, endeavouring our mutual edification ; 
visiting, exhorting, and comforting, as occasion serveth, 
and warning any brother or sister who offends, not 
divulging private offences irregularly, but needfully fol- 
lowing the several precepts laid down by Christ for 
church dealing, in Matthew, 18th chapter, 15th, 16th, 
17th verses, willingly forgiving all that manifest unto 
the judgment of charity, that they truly repent of 
their miscarriages. Now the God of peace, that 
brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, the great 
Shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the ever- 
lasting covenant make us all perfect in every good 
work to do his will, working in us all that which is 
well pleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ, to 
whom be glory forever and ever. Amen." * 

And now let us pause for a few moments to con- 
template the scene, as fancy, aided by the scanty 
records that remain, calls it up before us. 

The day, according to the New Style, was the first 
of June, the season of unrivalled beauty; — June, the 
queen of the months, when the earth is clothed with 
her brightest honors, and heaven smiles most benig- 
nantly on the forests and the fields. 

The rocky knoll, on which the foundations of this 
church rests, had not been shaped into its present 
graceful form. Yon green meadows were then, and 
for many years afterward, an unsightly swamp, cov- 



* Appendix, Note A. 



ered with birches and alders, through which " Cold 
Harbour Brook," the name by which it had been known 
for more than half a century, before a settlement had 
been made upon its borders, flowed peacefully, unin- 
terrupted in all its course by the obstructions of art. 
The beautiful eminence beyond, bearing its ancient 
name of "Liquor Hill," since exchanged for the more 
dignified title of " Mount Assabet," was clothed on all 
its sides with forests of oak and chesnut. Where now 
stands our pleasant village, then stood one or two 
small dwelling-houses: one built by Jacob Rice (grand- 
father of Asaph Rice), near the site of the centre 
school-house ; and another, occupied first for a garrison 
and afterward for a tavern, owned by Captain James 
Eager, and but recently taken down to make room for 
the elegant mansion of Mr. Horace Fiske. Only two 
other dwelling-houses were in sight: one belonging to 
Mr. Simeon Howard, on the side of the road, a few rods 
west of the meeting-house common ; and the other built 
and occupied by Nathaniel Oakes, which afterwards 
came into the possession of the Rev. Mr. Martyn, and 
subsequently of the Rev. Mr. Whitney, who, in 1780, 
erected the house which is still standing embosomed 
in the shade of lofty elms and sycamores, which com- 
mend the elegant taste of those who once inhabited 
that spot. No other dwelling-houses were in sight. 
All within our borders was a wilderness, save 
where, at distant intervals, a clearing had been made 
and buildings erected for the accommodation of the 
forty families of which the precinct then consisted. 







These were scattered over the whole extent of ter- 
ritory now included within the limits of Northborough. 
As many as four families, at least, had settled in the 
remotest corner of the town, on what is called " Ball 
Hill," — namely, the two brothers, James and Nathan 
Ball, Deacon Jonathan Livermore, whose first wife 
was a sister of the Balls, and Joseph Wheeler, whose 
daughter married James Eager, Jr. The descend- 
ants of the two former, James and Nathan Ball, are 
still numerous in this and other towns, — one being the 
grandfather of Doctor Stephen Ball, the other the 
father of the late Nathan Ball, the son of his old 
age, the father being seventy at the birth of the son. 

Among the most active and influential members of the 
new society over which a minister was to be ordained, 
besides those already mentioned, were Lieutenant Wil- 
liam Holloway, son of Adam Holloway, who built the 
house now in the possession of the heirs of the late Ste- 
phen Williams, Esq. One of the daughters of Lieuten- 
ant Holloway, Mary, was married to the late Jonathan 
Bartlett, and died since the commencement of my min- 
istry, at the advanced age of ninety-five. The mother of 
Mrs. Bartlett was Mary, daughter of Simeon Howard, 
who died in 1788, also at the age of ninety-five. Ger- 
shom Fay, the grandfather of the late Nahum Fay, Esq., 
whose house stood a short distance east of the west 
school-house, was another of the first settlers of this 
town. His wife, Mary, daughter of John Brigham, 
the first white man who took up his residence within 
the limits of this town, and who erected a hut and 



11 



built a sawmill where now stands the mill owned by 
Messrs. Haynes and Bush, was the person who had so 
narrow an escape from the Indians, at the time of the 
tragical fate of Mary Goodenow, with the particulars 
of which most of you, I suppose, are familiar. 

At the time of the formation of this church, the sons 
of Gershom and Mary Fay, namely, Gershom, Tim- 
othy, Silas, and Paul, the last a young man of twenty- 
six, were among the acting members of this society. 
Their descendants are numerous, some of whom occu- 
py the soil which their ancestors reclaimed and tilled. 
Hannah, wife of Gershom Fay, Jr., was the daughter 
of Nathaniel Oakes, and died in 1806, wanting but a 
few months of having completed a century of years. 
They lived on the farm now in the possession of Ben- 
jamin Rice ; and, as I was informed by her son, the late 
Thaddeus Fay, who died in 1822, at the age of ninety- 
one, the young mother, leading her little son by the 
hand, was accustomed to walk on the Sabbath to 
Westborough to attend public worship, a distance of 
five miles, the meeting-house at that time standing 
near the village of Wessonville. 

Among the heads of families at or about this 
time were the Goodenows, Samuel senior and junior, 
and David and Jonathan, two sons of the latter, 
who lived in the east part of the town. Also Dea- 
con Isaac and Hezekiah Tomblin, — the former liv- 
ing on the farm afterwards owned by Deacon Isaac 
Davis, and the latter on Tomblin Hill, so called from 
its first occupant. Deacon Matthias and Pelatiah Rice, 



12 



both worthy members and benefactors of the church, 
whose names are inscribed on the silver cups used in 
our communion service, — the one living on the farm 
now in the possession of William Stratten, the other 
on the farm belonging to the heirs of the late Ephraim 
Barnard, but formerly in the possession of Thaddeus 
Fay, who married Thankful, a daughter of Pelatiah 
Rice ; the other daughter, Sarah, married Adam, 
brother of Thaddeus Fay. Jotham and Jonas Bart- 
lett, sons of Daniel, and grandsons of Henry, of Marl- 
borough, the latter an emigrant from Wales, came into 
possession of the Goodenow farms, now owned by 
Stephen Howe and Ashley Bartlett ; Jonathan, another 
son, who married Mary Holloway, lived on a part of 
the Holloway farm, now in possession of Albert Rice. 

Two of the largest landholders at this time were 
Jesse Brigham, grandfather of Henry, who lives on the 
same spot formerly in the possession of his father 
Artemas and grandfather Jesse, and Josiah Rice, 
grandfather of the late Ezra Rice, whose house stood 
on the site of the dwelling-house of James Davis, and 
whose numerous acres were sufficient to constitute sev- 
eral large farms. To Josiah Rice, however, the occasion 
which we are commemorating was not one of joy or 
of hope. He was one of the disaffected ; and, though 
one of the wealthiest men in the precinct, refused, 
till compelled by law, to bear any part of the public 
burdens. Mr. Rice was, at this period, forty-six, and 
he lived to the advanced age of ninety-two. 

Bezaliel Eager, grandfather of the late Colonel 



13 



William Eager, was another of the active men in the 
settlement of the first minister, and in the subsequent 
doings of the society. He lived on the farm occupied 
in succession by his son Francis and grandson Wil- 
liam, and now in the possession of Charles South- 
worth. 

Thomas Goodenow, father of Asa Goodenow, who 
lived on the farm now owned by John F. Munroe, was 
a person of some distinction, being the first that was 
employed by the town as an instructer of youth. 
And long before any school-houses had been erected, 
Master Goodenow was accustomed to teach from 
house to house, a few weeks at a time in each ; the 
precinct paying him four shillings a week for his board. 
He was at this time thirty-seven years old. He died 
in 1790, at the age of eighty-one. 

But time would fail me, should I dwell on the names 
of Warren, and Beeman, and Gamwell, and Bowker, 
and Billings, and McAllister, and Hudson, and Briggs, 
and Townsend, and Babcock, and Carruth, and the 
Goddards, Josiah and Solomon, and the Oakeses, 
John and George, and others who were heads of fami- 
lies in this place one hundred years ago. I must not, 
however, pass over, without some slight recognition of 
their worth, such men as Colonel Levi Brigham, son 
of David Brigham, and father of the late Judge Brig- 
ham of Westborough, and of Winslow Brigham of this 
town, — who was chosen in 1775 to represent this 
district in the assembly which convened in Watertown 
to consult on the state of public affairs at that critical 



14 



juncture ;* and Deacon Paul Newton, father of Mar- 
tyn Newton. f He was respected as a man of worth 
and an exemplary officer of the church. J 

I must not omit to mention also the name of Seth 
Rice, father of the late Deacon Seth Rice, whose de- 
scendants are numerous and respectable. Seth Rice 
Sen. was born in 1705, the year after his two infant 
brothers, Silas and Timothy, while in the field with 
their father at Westborough, were taken by the Indians, 
and carried into captivity, where they lived, married 
Indian wives, acquired their habits, and lost all knowl- 
edge of their native tongue. Their Indian names 
were Tookanowras and Oughtsorongoughton, — the 
latter being one of the chiefs of the Cagnawaga tribe, 
in the time of the old French War. This chief visited 
his native place, Westborough, in 1740 ; but chose to 
return to die, as he had lived, among the barbarians, 
" who had shown him no little kindness." Seth Rice 
Sen., and his son, Deacon Seth Rice, lived on the 
farm now in the possession of Calvin Hastings. His 
wife Dorothy died in 1801, aged ninety-three. 

Samuel Allen, one of the ten names affixed to the 
church covenant, was at that time a young man of 
twenty-six ; thus setting an example, which his de- 
scendants have not been backward in following, of 
an early dedication of himself to Christ and the 



* At the time of the settlement of Mr. Martin he was thirty years old. 
f Named for the minister, who was buried on the day the child was born. 
J He was twenty-eight years old at the time of the ordination of Mr. 
Marty n. 



15 



Church. Ephraim Allen, his father, was another of 
the ten. They lived on the spot now occupied by Dea- 
con Lewis Allen, one of their descendants. Ephraim 
Allen came from Roxbury, and erected the first grist- 
mill in town, on the Assabet river. 

Samuel Wood, father of the late Abraham and Sam- 
uel Wood, came from Sudbury soon after this time,* and 
set up a fulling-mill in the town. His son Abraham 
was skilled in music, and composed several pieces 
which were popular in their day. His other son, 
Captain Samuel Wood, commanded a company and 
received a wound at the battle of Bunker Hill, and 
was a man of great firmness and decision of character. 
He died in 1818, at the age of seventy-five. 

Such were the men that founded our little republic. 
They were for the most part plain, unlettered men, 
who had enjoyed but few advantages for intellectual 
culture. But most of them were of the Anglo-Saxon 
race, and the blood of the Covenanters and Puritans 
ran in their veins. They were men who thought and 
acted with freedom and independence, and sometimes, 
it may be, with pertinacity and dogged obstinacy. 
They were not timeservers, nor were they " carried 
about by every wind of doctrine." At the period re- 
ferred to, many of the churches of New England were 
in a very distracted state, torn by intestine divisions 
threatening their dissolution, owing partly to the ex- 
citement produced by the preaching of George White- 
field, the eloquent enthusiast, and his followers. I am 

* He was chosen Precinct Clerk in 1750. 



16 



not aware that the controversy reached this church, 
or that the first minister took any part in it. From 
the circumstance mentioned in the Records of the 
Precinct, that that part of the ordaining council 
which was selected by the pastor elect consisted of 
the Rev. Messrs. Barrett of Hopkinton and Gard- 
ner of Stow, both of whom were sound, stable, 
and judicious men, and opposed to the New Lights, 
as the enthusiasts of that day were styled, I infer that 
Mr. Martyn, who, at the time of his ordination, was 
upwards of forty years old, was himself a sound, 
stable, and judicious man.* 

I wish I could present a true picture of the women 
of that generation, the wives and daughters of the 
first settlers, the mothers of the men who have risen 
up in their fathers' stead. They were an industrious, 
hard-working, thrifty race, and better answered Solo- 
mon's description of a good wife, I suppose it will be 
conceded, than some of their granddaughters and re- 
moter descendants. For they " sought wool and flax, 
and worked diligently with their hands." They 
" girded their loins with strength, and strengthened 
their arms." They " laid their hands to the spindle, 
and their hands held the distaff." They " looked 
well to the ways of their household, and ate not the 
bread of idleness." Methinks I see them now, as 
they appeared on the memorable day which was to 
witness the consecration of their new minister, wend- 
ing their way on foot, or mounted on pillions behind 

* Appendix, Note B. 



17 



their husbands or brothers, dressed in homely gar- 
ments, made for use and not for show, through nar- 
row, crooked lanes, impassable for carriages, had such 
luxuries been in use. They come from their scattered 
homes, — all who can leave, — and gather to the 
house of prayer to witness the imposing ceremony. 
They take their places on the " women's side," while 
the men occupy the seats opposite. And all are 
attentive while the services of the ordination last. 

But I feel that I cannot give life to the picture, 
and so I let it pass, while I attempt a sketch of the 
man to whom all eyes were directed, who formed the 
chief object of attraction, on the occasion referred to. 

The Reverend John Martyn, the first minister of 
North borough, was the son of Captain Edmund Martyn 
of Boston, who was the master of a vessel, and led 
a seafaring life. The father died before the son 
entered college, leaving him to the care of his excel- 
lent mother, whose circumstances enabled her to give 
him the best advantages of education which were 
afforded at that time. He became a student at Har- 
vard College, where he graduated in the class of 1724. 
After leaving college, he devoted himself for some 
time to secular pursuits, residing in Harvard, in this 
county. At length, at the age of forty, — about 
twenty years after he was graduated, — he engaged 
in studies preparatory to the ministry, and, having 
completed his course, was employed as a candidate in 
this place, in the winter of 1745 or 6, — according 



18 



as the beginning of the year is reckoned from 
the twenty-fifth of March or the first of January. 
Two other candidates, agreeably to the advice of 
neighbouring ministers, had been heard during the 
winter, but the preference was given to Mr. Martyn, 
who was chosen, if not with entire unanimity, yet, as 
it is recorded in the Precinct Book, " by a clear vote." 
As none of Mr. Martyn's sermons are known to 
be in existence, and as many may be desirous of know- 
ing something of the views and character of the first 
minister of Northborough, I cannot doubt that his an- 
swer to the call he received from the town will be 
listened to with interest. 

" For Messrs. Nathan Ball, Matthias Rice, and 
Jonathan Livermore, the Committee chosen by 
the Second Precinct in Westborough to present 
me, the subscriber, with a call to the pastoral 
office in said Precinct. To be communicated to 
the inhabitants of said Second Precinct in West- 
borough. 

" I have spent much time and much thought in 
seriously considering your invitation to me to settle 
with you in the relation of a pastor to you, and have 
asked advice of those I thought most proper and capa- 
ble to give it ; and I hope I have not been negligent 
in seeking to the throne of grace for direction in this 
important affair. I am sensible, that, as the apostle 
says in 1 Timothy iii. 1, ' if a man desire the office of a 
bishop, he desireth a good work.' So also as that text 



19 



implies, 2 Corinthians ii. 16, that none is thoroughly 
suffieient for these things. But yet, as God hath 
been pleased to commit the treasure of the gospel to 
earthen vessels, to men like ourselves, and to make 
it necessary there should be a standing ministry in his 
church, for the perfecting of the saints, for the work 
of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, 
so although all are not apostles, prophets, or teachers, 
though all indifferently may [not ? ] take upon them 
the work of the ministry, yet it is necessary that some 
be taken from men to be ordained for men in things 
pertaining unto God. And as we have not a divine 
oracle to consult, nor any way to come at the knowl- 
edge of God's will, but by observing his providences 
and comparing those with his word, so when persons 
of sobriety, learning, and orthodoxy, disposed to the 
work of the ministry, have a clear and regular call 
from the people and from God, it is the duty of such 
to comply with such a call, trusting in God that his 
grace shall be sufficient for them, and that his 
strength shall be made perfect in their weakness. 

" And now, brethren, as the Providence of God 
seems to have singled me out from amongst others, to 
commit unto me a dispensation of the gospel, and as 
you have manifested unto me so much respect as to 
count me worthy to rule, guide, and teach you, by 
calling and inviting me to labor amongst you in this 
part of the Lord's vineyard, so I do now testify my 
compliance with your invitation. My brethren, I 
think that I can say that it is not for the sake of 



20 



filthy lucre that I am moved hereunto ; for I can see 
no prospect of any great worldly advantage to be in 
the ministry, especially in country parishes ; neither 
do I expect a life of ease and pleasure, for I am 
sensible that, as to the work I am engaging in, it is 
painful and laborious; and, as the temper of mankind 
is at present, whoever engages in it must expect to 
meet with contempt, reproof, sorrow, and trouble ; 
but I trust in the grace of God to grant me those 
supplies of strength and grace which may be neces- 
sary to enable me to perform any work and to bear 
any sufferings he may have appointed for me, and to 
arm me with that patience, self-denial, and meek- 
ness, which should be eminent and conspicuous in 
the ministers of Jesus Christ, who should be patterns 
of every grace and virtue, and who, above others, 
had need to abound in these things. And I am not 
without hope that you yourselves, brethren, will con- 
tribute what you can to lighten my burthen, and to 
comfort me under it, by manifesting a readiness to 
receive instructions, by your endeavouring to live a 
holy, harmless, blameless, circumspect, shining life ; 
and that you will take part with me in whatever 
sorrows and sufferings God hath determined to lay 
upon me. My brethren, our interests are now to be 
united. It will become us, therefore, to seek and en- 
deavour each other's welfare in all proper methods. 
Your offers to me, as to temporal support and main- 
tenance, are not large ; but yet, as I now comply with 
them with an honest intention, and not desiring to 



21 



make a gain of you upon account of the uncertain 
foundation of our medium of trade, so I hope, if I 
should be in need of any further assistance from you 
in any matters which might be much to my advantage 
and nothing to your damage, you will readily afford 
me help. I know very well, that, as the salary is set- 
tled upon silver, and that as our paper bills are daily 
depreciating, so it seems, on a transient view, and 
considering the present state of trade and living, as if 
you had given me a considerable advantage over you ; 
on the other hand, if it had not been thus settled, it 
appears that I might have been subjected to many 
difficulties, and have been a continual complainer or 
sufferer. But, as I hope, had there been any seeming 
disadvantage on my side, you would have endeavoured 
to ease and relieve me, upon proper remonstrances and 
representations of my case, so I assure you, though 
the advantage at present may seem to be on my side 
(and, indeed, it does but seem so, for none can tell what 
turn affairs may take with respect to the medium of 
trade), — therefore, I say, though it may seem so, yet it 
is not my design to take any advantage of it to your 
prejudice ; and if there should ever happen any diffi- 
culty upon this account, I shall be very free and wil- 
ling to leave it to any impartial judge. 

" And now, brethren, I commend myself to God, 
and beg your prayers for me, that I may be found 
diligent and faithful in the work whereto I am called. 
And God forbid that I should cease praying for you 
and myself, that both you and I, in our respective 



22 



stations, and relations to one another, may so conduct 
ourselves in this world, as that we may be able to 
lift up our heads with joy another day, and may meet 
together in the temple of God in heaven, never more 
to go out. To conclude, brethren, be perfect, be of 
good comfort, be of one mind, live in peace, and the 
God of love and peace shall be with you. And now 
may the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you 
all. Amen. 

" I am your sincere friend 

and hearty well-wisher, 

"John Martyn. 
"Bolton, March 29, 1746." 

I am not aware that any other of the writings of 
Mr. Martyn have been preserved, but even from this 
specimen I think we are justified in concluding that 
he was a wise, honest, strong man, and that he en- 
tered on his work with right views, and a just sense of 
the responsibilities of the office he was about to assume. 

In regard to his theological opinions, he did not 
probably differ from his brethren in the ministry with 
whom he was in habits of intimacy, as Cushing of 
Shrewsbury, Parkman of Westborough, Prentice of 
Lancaster, and Morse of Boylston, all of whom were 
sound, orthodox divines, but not among the "New 
Lights " of that time, and probably having very little 
to do with the peculiarities of any human creed, and 
meddling very little with religious controversy. It is 
worthy of remark, and it should be borne in mind, that 



23 



the old church covenants, which were in general use 
at that time, were not formularies of faith, embracing 
the peculiarities of Calvinism or of Arminianism, or 
of any other system of human origin, but covenants, 
properly so called, — that is to say, religious engage- 
ments entered into on the part of those who became 
communicants, binding them, not to a fixed creed, but 
to endeavours after a holy life. The covenant sub- 
scribed by Mr. Martyn, and adopted by the church 
organized on the day of his ordination, is of this 
character. It is wholly unobjectionable on the score 
of sentiment, although its length and style might not 
be adapted to our fastidious tastes. The term ortho- 
dox, which occurs in one clause, is a very good term, 
and ought not to be appropriated by any one denomi- 
nation, or any body of believers, as belonging exclu- 
sively to them.* 

At the period referred to, there were not in all this 
region any but Congregational churches and Congrega- 
tional ministers; and though there may have been diver- 
sities of faith among them, as there must be where there 
is religious freedom and the minds of men are awake, 
and though some men were then, as now, of a warmer 
temperament and more excitable than others, and 
though feuds and controversies broke up the peace of 
many of the New England churches about that time, 
which, it will be recollected, was the season of the great 
revival produced by the labors of Whitefield, Buel, 



* Appendix, Note C. 



24 



Tennent, and other itinerant preachers, who travelled 
through the country, reviled the standing order of min- 
isters, and drew away from them the affections of many 
of their hearers, yet, so far as I can learn, the churches 
and ministers in this immediate vicinity remained unaf- 
fected by the fanatical spirit of the times, or only 
shared in a healthy excitement, and were animated 
with new life. The Rev. Mr. Barrett of Hopkinton, 
who, it will be recollected, was on the council for the 
ordination of Mr. Martyn, as we learn from Howe's 
Century Sermon, from his unwillingness to adopt the 
new measures, lost the confidence and affection of 
some of the most serious and pious people in town, 
who for a time absented themselves from his minis- 
try and joined other societies in neighbouring towns ; 
" but," as we are told, " when the fervor of their af- 
fection abated, they returned, respected Mr. Barrett, 
lived under his ministry, and were edified." 

The Rev. Mr. Martyn married Mary Marrett of 
Cambridge, by whom he had several children, de- 
scendants from two of whom, John and Michael, are 
still living in this town. 

A venerable old man, of the stock of Israel, Rabbi 
Judah Monis, was an inmate of Mr. Martyn's family 
during a few of the last years of his life. He had 
been Hebrew Instructer in Harvard College as early 
as 1720, while yet an unconverted Jew. He em- 
braced Christianity, and was publicly baptized at 
Cambridge, in 1722. He continued in office forty 
years, and after the death of his wife, in 1761, he 



25 



came to reside with his brother-in-law, Mr. Martyn, 
in whose family he remained till his death, in 1764. 
I find in the town records the following vote, relat- 
ing to Mr. Monis, and several others, who I suppose 
were among the most aged persons in town, and who, 
with their three-cornered hats and staves and enor- 
mous shoe-buckles, must have made quite an imposing 
appearance, as they came in to take their places in the 
seat of honor allotted them: — "March 14th, 1763. 
The precinct voted that ' Mr. Judah Monis, John 
McAllister, Thomas Taylor, Ephraim Allen, Joshua 
Townsend, and Daniel Mason should be seated in the 
foor [fore] seat below.' ' Mr. Monis was then about 
eighty years old. He died April 25th, 1764, and was 
buried in what, was then the new burying-ground, 
though that term has been since appropriated to an- 
other, — " and his sepulchre remaineth to this day." 
Mr. Monis was a benefactor of this church ; three 
silver cups, bearing his name, forming part of the plate 
used in our communion service. The verses inscribed 
on his grave-stone are a not unfavorable specimen of 
the poetry of the day : — 

" A native branch of Jacob see, 

Which, once from off its olive broke, 
Regrafted in the living tree, 
Of the reviving sap partook. 

" From teeming Zion's fertile womb, 
As dewy drops in early morn, 
Or rising bodies from the tomb, 
At once be Israel's nation born." 
4 



26 



The last stanza expresses a benevolent and pious 
hope which many have shared, but which has hitherto 
been sadly disappointed. 

Mr. Martyn had a peaceful and successful ministry 
of twenty-five years, which, in the midst of his useful 
labors, was interrupted by his sudden and lamented 
death, on the last day of April, 1767. A handsome 
monument was erected in the adjoining burying- 
ground by his bereaved flock, bearing the following 
inscription, which, as I have no doubt, expresses not 
only the estimation in which he was held, but also the 
true character of the man : — 

"Under this sepulchral stone lies interred, in Chris- 
tian hope of a blessed resurrection, what was mortal 
of the Reverend John Martyn, A. M., the late worthy 
pastor of this flock, son of the late Captain Edward 
Martyn, of Boston. Educated at Harvard College, 
Cambridge. Was ordained in this place May twenty- 
first, 1746. Approved himself an assiduous, orthodox, 
eminent preacher of the great redemption by Jesus 
Christ. After a few days' illness, to the inexpressible 
grief of his family, flock, and friends, expired April 
thirtieth, 1767, aged sixty-one. 

" Si vitam fide Christi egimus sanctam, si quid prae- 
clare gessimus, hoc sit nostri monumentum." 

A few other incidents relating to the early history 
of this town may be listened to with interest, as 
throwing light on the character of the men and of the 
times of which we are speaking. 



27 



What is now Northborough was for many years 
known as the Second Precinct in Westborough, having 
been set off as such, October 20th, 1744, which an- 
swers to October 31st, N. S. It did not become an 
incorporated district till January 24th, 1766, when, 
from its situation in respect to the First Precinct, it 
received the name of Northborough. But it was not 
even yet thought worthy of the rank of a town ; and 
was not allowed the privilege of sending a repre- 
sentative to the Great and General Court till the com- 
mencement of the Revolutionary War, in 1775, when, 
by a general act of the Provincial Congress, all in- 
corporated districts were declared to be entitled to all 
the privileges and immunities of towns.* 

The First Precinct officers were chosen on the 
15th of the following November, at which time "it 
was voted that precinct meetings for the future should 
be warned by two notifications posted up, one at 
Ephraim Allen's mill, and the other at Bezaleel 
Eater's." 

One of the first objects to which the attention of 
the precinct was directed was, of course, the building 
of a meeting-house, which, after much delay, occa- 
sioned by differences of opinion respecting its location, 
which were at length terminated by arbitration, James 
Eager having generously given the land for that pur- 
pose, was raised April 30th, 1745. It stood very 



* See Ancient Charters and Laws of the Province of Massachusetts 
Bay, — Appendix, chap. xl. p. 3. 



28 



near the spot which forms the site of the present 
church.* They did not, however, wait till the house 
was built, before they took measures to provide preach- 
ing. Meetings for public worship were held through 
the winter of 1745, first at the house of Nathaniel 
Oakes, and afterwards, for three months, at the house 
of Jacob Rice, which, as has been already said, stood 
near the site of the centre school-house. As they 
could not agree upon a candidate, agreeably to the 
pious custom of those times, they appointed " a day 
of humiliation and prayer," and sent for several of the 
neighbouring ministers to give them their advice. 

"September 12th," as the record stands, "the 
day appointed, Rev. Mr. Parkman and Rev. Mr. 
Goss came and carried on the work of the fast 
day, and adjourned, giving us their advice, till the 
23d of September, and then the Rev. Mr. Pren- 
tice, and Mr. Cushing, and Mr. Parkman, and Mr. 
Morse, met at the house of Lieutenant William Hol- 
loway, and, after looking up to Heaven for divine 
help and assistance on the occasion they met upon, 
they heard each party, and gave us their advice as 
followeth : — 

" Westborough, Sept. 23, 1745. 

" Inasmuch as the committee of the Second Precinct 

in Westborough have made application to us whose 

names are underwritten to give them our advice with 

reference to the settlement of divine ordinances among 

* Appendix, Note D. 



29 



them, after humble application to God for direction 
ourselves, and maturely weighing what has been laid 
before us, do lament the appearance of misunderstand- 
ings and uneasinesses in the precinct, and would 
earnestly recommend a mutual condescension as be- 
comes Christian professors, but on consideration that 
the chief matters of grievance cannot fall under our 
cognizance, nor can we have any prospect, from any 
thing in our power, to redress them. But though there 
have been such difficulties subsisting here, yet, if there 
should be any long delay, we have reason to fear they 
would rather increase, in such a day of temptation, 
than be diminished, we do freely advise that they pro- 
ceed to nominating a number of candidates for the 
gospel ministry, to be heard by the precinct, in order 
to a choice; that they be two, together with the gen- 
tlemen they have been some time hearing. And we 
(divers of us) recommend the Rev. Mr. Rand and Mr. 
Jedediah Adams, of Cambridge, that they all be heard 
a few Sabbaths each. Upon the whole, brethren, we 
cannot but express our compassionate concern for you 
in your new circumstances, and do beseech you to be- 
ware of the many evils of strife and contention ; be 
cautious of the snares to which your most precious souls 
are exposed at such a critical juncture ; and may the 
God of all wisdom and grace conduct and restrain you. 
(Signed,) " John Prentice, 

Job Cushing, 
Ebenezer Parkman, 
Ebenezer Morse." 



30 



This advice was followed ; and after hearing the 
three candidates two Sabbaths each, Mr. John Mar- 
tyn was declared to be " chosen by a clear vote," on the 
9th of the following December, the precinct voting 
him a " salary of £ 50, in bills of the last emission, or 
£ 200 in bills of the old form and tenor, with a set- 
tlement of £300 of old tenor money " ; a pound, old 
tenor, being equal to about 82 cents of our currency ; 
so that his salary was $ 166-66, and his settlement 
$ 246. This was indeed " a day of small things " ; 
but not, on this account, to be despised. The salary 
was in proportion not only to the means of the society, 
but to the price of labor and the articles of living. In 
consideration of the rise of provisions, the precinct, 
two years after the settlement of Mr. Martyn, made 
an additional grant of £ 150, old tenor, to his salary 
for that year ; and numerous grants of a like nature 
are recorded in the Precinct Book. 

It was not till the last year but one of the life of the 
Rev. Mr. Martyn, namely, 1766, the year that North- 
borough obtained an act of incorporation, that the pre- 
cinct voted to provide schooling and to repair the high- 
ways at the public charge. The amount granted that 
year for the former is not stated. For the latter a grant 
of £60, lawful money, was made. In the following year, 
however, the grant for schooling was £ 11, which was 
gradually increased, till, in 1776, it amounted to £20 ; 
while that for highways was £ 40, an equal amount, 
or £ 40, having been granted the year before to pay the 
minute men " to learn the military art." It is worthy 



31 



of note, that, in the following year, 1777, the sum 
raised for schooling was doubled, amounting to £ 40 
lawful money, while no appropriation was made for 
repairing the highways, a fact which evinces the in- 
terest that was taken even in those troublesome times 
in the cause of education. Since the Revolutionary 
War, at least during the last thirty years, the amount 
raised for each purpose has been, I believe, nearly the 
same.* 

Having dwelt so long on the ministry and times of 
the Rev. Mr. Martyn, I must pass hastily over the 
subsequent period. 

The Rev. Peter Whitney, the successor of Mr. Mar- 
tyn, was the son of the Rev. Aaron Whitney, of Peters- 
ham, where he was born, September 17, 1744, the 
year the Second Precinct was set off from Westbor- 
ough. He also was educated at Harvard University, 
Cambridge, where he was graduated in 1762, and 
where he pursued the study of theology, preparatory to 
the Christian ministry. Mr. Whitney received a call, 
September 21, 1767, to fill the vacancy occasioned 
by the death of Mr. Martyn, with the offer of a 
salary of £ 60 lawful money, afterwards increased to 
£66-13-4, about #220, and a settlement of £160 
lawful money, or $ 533.33} ; and on the 4th of the 
following November, was ordained as the pastor of 
the church in this town, only six months and four days 
after the death of his predecessor in office. 

* Appendix, Note E. 



32 



It was during his ministry, namely, in 1808, that, 
at an expense of more than $ 1 1 ,000, this house in 
which we are now assembled was erected near the 
spot occupied by the old meeting-house. 

Mr. Whitney's ministry was long, peaceful, and 
prosperous, and was terminated by his sudden death, 
February 29, 1816. He is still remembered by many 
with affectionate respect, and his Christian deport- 
ment and useful labors contributed not a little to the 
harmony and strength and respectability of this relig- 
ious society as it was at the time when the speak- 
er first became connected with it. Mr. Whitney, 
at the time of his death, was in the seventy-second 
year of his age and the forty-ninth of his ministry. His 
mortal remains, and his monument, and the remem- 
brance of his many virtues, are still with us. Of his 
descendants, with a solitary exception, all have gone 
from the former home of their honored ancestor, and 
some have gone to their last home.* 

And so, after a few short years, it will be with the 
family of his successor, into which, by a most remark- 
able providence, death has not yet entered, and the 
places which now know them will know them no more. 
The present incumbent entered on his office, Octo- 
ber 30th, 1816, so that he has now nearly completed 
the thirtieth year of his ministry among the people 
of his first and latest love. He has never aspired to a 
higher place or a better fortune ; and he hopes to 

* Appendix, Note F. 



33 



spend the evening of his days, if not in the office that 
he loves, yet " among his own people," for whom he 
has so long labored, and from whom he has experienced 
so constant and considerate kindness. 

This church has now existed a century, during 
which time it has had only three pastors, including 
the one who now fills that office, and has been desti- 
tute of a settled minister onlv about fourteen months, — 
" a fact," as he took occasion to say in his account of 
Northborough, published twenty years since, " highly 
creditable to the members of the society, as an evidence 
of their regard for the institutions of religion, and of 
the union and harmony which have long subsisted 
among them." I may be allowed to quote the rest of 
the paragraph from which the foregoing extract is taken. 
" It may be justly considered," the writer remarks, 
" that the town is indebted to the spirit of union 
which has hitherto so generally prevailed among us, 
for the respectable rank which it now maintains. It 
would be easy, however painful, to predict the conse- 
quences of the prevalence of an opposite spirit. Large 
and opulent societies can bear to be reduced by division ; 
but in societies small as this, and whose resources 
are no greater than ours, union should be the watch- 
word of all who wish well to the cause of human im- 
provement." 

These sentiments were entertained by the speaker 
twenty years ago ; they are retained and cherished by 
him still. Union is strength ; and though separation 
is better than strife, it is not unattended by many 

5 



34 



painful circumstances. In our own experience the 
evils of division have been less grievous than in the 
case of many of our brethren. A good degree of har- 
mony has ever existed between the parent society and 
the two that have been formed out of it. The speaker 
has lived in good fellowship with all, and in habits of 
intimacy with some, of those who from time to time 
have sustained the pastoral office in the other churches ; 
and he can truly say that he has, with very few excep- 
tions, been treated with all the respect and kindness 
he could ask or desire by those who went out from 
us, as well as by those who have since united with 
them in the maintenance of religious institutions. In 
return, he has cherished only the most friendly feelings 
towards them ; and, while he has scrupulously en- 
deavoured to avoid all improper interference and all 
attempts to proselyte, he has, he can truly say, sought 
opportunities to benefit the rising and the risen gene- 
ration, without regard to sect or denomination. 

Especially has he sought to know nothing of sect or 
party in his connection with the subject of education ; 
and teachers and scholars in our public schools will 
testify, that, in his intercourse with them, he has shown 
no partiality in favor of the advocates of a particular 
religious creed. I call on others, — I call on you, my 
hearers, — I call upon this whole community, to pur- 
sue the same righteous and honorable course, and 
never to allow a sectarian spirit to enter those sacred 
retreats, consecrated to learning and science, where 
the tender minds of our children receive their earliest 
and deepest impressions. 



35 



The early records of this church, together with the 
house of the pastor, were destroyed by fire in 1780. 
In consequence of this calamity, some items of infor- 
mation, which we should be glad to possess, are irre- 
coverably lost. 

From the Rev. Mr. Parkman's account of Westbor- 
ough, we learn, that, in the year of Mr. Martyn's death, 
this church consisted of twenty-one males and twenty- 
three females. The number admitted during the min- 
istry of Mr. Whitney, as nearly as can be ascertained, 
was 204 ; while 201 have been received into the 
church since I became its pastor, of whom about one 
half remain with us to this day. Our church at pres- 
sent consists of about 120 communicants. The num- 
ber of baptisms, from the year 1730, when the 
records were destroyed, to the time of the decease of 
Mr. Whitney, was 661. The present pastor has bap- 
tized 318; while ten received baptism in the interval 
between the death of Mr. Whitney and the 30th of 
the following October. During my ministry, 1 have 
solemnized 208 marriages. I have thus united in in- 
dissoluble bonds 416 persons ; of whom about 70 or 
75, as nearly as I can learn, are no longer numbered 
among the living. The survivors, with the descend- 
ants of the 208 couples, would make a great congre- 
gation, and I have often thought that I should like to 
see them all assembled in one place, to learn their va- 
rious fortunes, and to speak to them words of congrat- 
ulation, and sympathy, and Christian counsel. The 
whole number of deaths within the borders of this town, 



36 



since the beginning of my ministry, has been about 
500; making the average 16|. I have probably at- 
tended about the same number of funerals, in this and 
the neighbouring towns. 

The scenes and occasions that the recital of these 
facts calls up before me are, some of them, of the 
most deeply afTecting character, and have left impres- 
sions on my mind which will remain while life or 
memory lasts* 

Eight persons only, besides the present incumbents, 
have sustained the office of deacon in this church since 
its organization ; and it is but justice to add, that, so 
far as I have learned, they were all men of great moral 
worth ; respectable and respected. Of the first four I 
had, of course, no personal knowledge. Jonathan Liv- 
ermore and Matthias Rice were the first that held that 
office. The former, who came from Watertovvn, and 
who lived to the great age of one hundred years and 
seven months, was, in his day, probably the best edu- 
cated man in the place, and for many years in succes- 
sion was clerk of the precinct. After the death of his 
first wife, the mother of his children, he married a lady 
of Irish extraction, a widow (Mrs. Jane Dunlap), who 
lived in Milton, and was a member of the Congregational 
church in that place, and who, from letters of hers in 
my possession, addressed to the church, with which 
she had a protracted controversy, as well as from other 
sources, I should judge to have been a woman of 
strong intellect and of great independence, associated 
perhaps with some acerbity of temper, and, it may be, 



37 



other faults of character. Certain it is that the church 
received her communications, of which she sent sev- 
eral, in no very courteous maimer, — voting, on one oc- 
casion, (Nov. 23, 1784), "unanimously, not one hand 
up," as the record reads, that her communication was 
not satisfactory. 

Deacon Matthias Rice was a good man, " in sim- 
plicity and godly sincerity having his conversation in 
the world"; and such were, by reputation, the two 
successors of Deacons Rice and Livermore, — Dea- 
cons Paul Newton and Seth Rice. They all lived 
to a good old age, leaving behind them the savor of a 
good name. Of the other four I can speak from per- 
sonal and intimate knowledge. Deacon Isaac Davis 
and Deacon Nahum Fay were in office at the time 
of my ordination, and during several of the first years 
of my ministry ; and I may add, that, though differing 
from me on points of doctrinal belief, they were my 
personal friends, from whom, so long as they lived, 
I experienced uniform kindness. Deacon Jonas Bart- 
lett and Samuel Seaver, Sen., have so recently ceased 
from their mortal labors, that few among us need to 
be informed that they, too, possessed the public confi- 
dence and respect. Of the present incumbents it 
does not become me here to speak. 

I shall dwell but for a few moments on the pres- 
ent condition and prospects of this religious society. 
I cannot use the language of exultation and boastful 
confidence ; — it is unbecoming at all times; it would 
be especially out of place at this time. When I think 



38 



of the strong pillars that stood here thirty years ago, 
on which our social fabric and this church rested, and 
consider how they have fallen, one after another, till 
only here and there a decaying shaft remains, I have 
no heart to exult; I am more inclined to commune 
icith my own heart and be still. 

True, we have ample resources and many encour- 
agements ; and it were weakness and a criminal dis- 
trust of Providence to despond, as, when I think of 
the past, I am sometimes tempted to do. Once we 
were, certainly in respect to worldly wealth, much 
stronger than now. By death and removal, and those 
changes that are common in this changing world, 
many of the best estates that once belonged to us have 
passed into other hands ; and although there has been 
a considerable increase of population in the town, 
especially within the last ten years, only a small pro- 
portion of those who have removed hither from other 
places have become members of this religious society. 
One main purpose of our respected friend and bene- 
factor (Henry Gassett, Esq., of Boston), whose bounty 
we have so liberally shared, has thus been in a manner 
frustrated. He had hoped that his large donation, 
($3000,) intended principally for the support of the 
ministry, would prove a bond of union, so that all 
might partake of the fruits of his liberality. In other 
times it might have been so. And the day may come 
when sectarian strifes and party names shall be done 
away ; and when that bounty, which was intended 
for all, shall be shared by all who shall then dwell 



39 



within our borders. In the mean time it will be, I 
trust, a bond of union to us who remain connected 
with this ancient Congregational church ; and the 
memory of the donor will be dear to our children's 
children. 

We have received other benefactions ; among which 
is the valuable clock lately placed in the tower of our 
church (the gift of Mr. Jonas Ball), which, so long as 
it remains, will remind us of the source whence it 
came, and of the hours as they fly. 

And now my parting word ; for it is quite time to 
'relieve your exhausted patience. My ministry has 
been protracted, and my labors among you have been 
blessed, far beyond my most sanguine hopes. Ac- 
cording to the order of nature, which, if I might, I 
would not subvert or alter, I have seen my best days. 
I am deeply sensible that it is so ; and I submit, with- 
out a murmur, to the great law of life, — that, while 
others increase, " I must decrease." 

Receive, then, the word from my lips. As though I 
stood on the borders of the grave and in the prospect 
of the eternal world, — in the earnestness of a spirit 
that yearns towards you with a strong affection, I be- 
seech you, dear brethren and friends, in the words of 
the apostle, adopted by the first minister of this church: 
"Be perfect ; be of good comfort; be of one mind; 
live in peace; — and the God of love and peace shall 
be with you." Amen. 



APPENDIX. 



Northborough, being originally a part of Marlborough, may lay claim 
to considerable antiquity ; Marlborough having been incorporated as early 
as 1660, only forty years after the landing from the Mayflower, and thirty 
after the settlement of Boston. 

It was, indeed, in this very year (1660) that certain meadow lands lying 
within the borders of this town were surveyed, and the names given 
them (Three Corner Meadow, Stirrup Meadow, Crane Meadow, &c.) 
which they now bear. Cold Harbour Meadow, then bearing its present 
name, was taken up and laid out in thirty-four lots as early as 1672 ; 
and in the same year, a grant of land was made to John Brigham (who 
went by the name of Doctor Brigham, and was a noted land-surveyor) " on 
Licor Meadow Plain," probably the plain extending north and north- 
west from Liquor Hill (now Mount Assabet) to the farm of Mr. Jairus 
Lincoln. On what I suppose were the eastern borders of this grant, 
near the site of the saw-mill owned by Messrs. Haynes and Bush, Mr. 
Brigham erected a small cabin, in which he lived several years, remote 
from any human habitation, tending the saw-mill which he had built on 
Howard Brook, till at length the fear of the savages induced him to 
retire to a place of greater security. 

In the same year, several other grants of land, now within the borders 
of this town, were made by the proprietors of Marlborough ; — one to Sam- 
uel Goodenow, father of Thomas, and grandfather of the late Asa Good- 
enow ; and to Thomas Brigham, father of David, and grandfather of the 
late Judge Brigham of Westborough. Another grant still was made to 
John Rediat, " west of Assabeth River, north-west side of the Chauncey 
Great Pond, bounded on the east by a Spruce Swamp." Another " on 
the Nepmuck road, that formerly led toward Coneticoat," which was 
probably on the eastern borders of Little Chauncey Pond, — the Nepmuck 
road from Marlborough to Grafton (then Hassanemesit) leading through 
Westborough near Great and Little Chauncey Ponds. Nathaniel Oakes, 
the person mentioned in the Discourse, married for his first wife a 
daughter of John Rediat, through whom he came into possession of a 
6 



42 



large estate. After the death of his first wife, Mr. Oakes married Mary, 
daughter of Adam Holloway, by whom he had several children, descend- 
ants of whom, by his daughter Hannah, who was married to Gershom 
Fay, Jr., are still with us. Three granddaughters of Hannah Oakes, 
namely, Zilpah, Zeviah, and Thankful, daughters of Thaddeus Fay, were 
married severally to Joel and Asa Parmenter and Deacon Jonas Bart- 
lett. One of the grandsons, Thaddeus Fay, Jr., married Abigail, a 
daughter of John Martyn, Jr. ; she died in 1840, in the eightieth year 
of her age. 

The tragical fate of Mary Goodenow is alluded to in the Discourse. 
The following particulars may be interesting to those to whom the story 
is not familiar. It took place August 18th, 1707. Mary Goodenow, 
daughter of Samuel, who then lived near the present dwelling-house 
of Mr. Stephen Howe, in a house which was used for a garrison, was 
gathering herbs in the adjoining meadow, in company with Mrs. Mary, 
wife of Gershom Fay, who then lived in the east part of the town, when 
a party of Indians, twenty-four in number, all stout warriors, were seen 
issuing from the woods and advancing towards them. Mrs. Fay escaped 
to the garrison, having barely time to fasten the gate of the inclosure, 
before her pursuers came up. Mary Goodenow, being retarded by lame- 
ness, was overtaken, seized, and dragged by the savages to the east side 
of the meadow, where she was killed and scalped, and where her man- 
gled remains were afterwards found and committed to the dust, and 
where her grave was visible a few years since. 

Some other particulars respecting this event may be found in the his- 
torical notice of Northborough, contained in the second volume of the 
Worcester Magazine, published in 1826. 

Before the incorporation of Westborough, in 1717, the western part of 
Marlborough, including what is now Westborough and Northborough, 
went by the name of " Chauncey " or " Chauncey Village," — so called, 
according to the Rev. Mr. Parkman of Westborough, from the circum- 
stance, " that in early times a person of that name was lost in one of the 
swamps here." The name is retained in connection with two beautiful 
sheets of water, — "Great Chauncey Pond," in Westborough, and 
" Little Chauncey Pond," in Northborough. 

The names given respectively to the three towns which were taken 
from Marlborough were strictly appropriate, at the times when they were 
assigned. Thus, in 1717, the whole of the western part of Marlborough 
was incorporated by the name of Westborough ; and in 1720, the 
southern part of what remained, was incorporated by the name of South- 
borough ; and, finally, in 1766, the northern part of Westborough was 
incorporated by the name of Northborough. 

Before the incorporation of Marlborough, in 1660, the English planta- 



43 



tion which was commenced there in 1656 was called by the Indian name 
of Whipsuppenicke, or, as it was sometimes written, WhipsufFeradge. 
The Indian plantation in the neighbourhood went by the not unmusical 
name of Ockoocangansett, corrupted, in Yankee dialect, into Agogang- 
gomisset. The name originally belonged to the beautiful hill back of 
the Academy, as Whipsuppenicke was the name of another hill south of 
the former. 



NOTE A. Page 8. 

I find by examination, that this very church covenant, with a few 
slight variations, had been adopted by the church at Sterling about 
eighteen months previous, namely, December 19th, 1744, at the time 
of the ordination of their first minister, the Rev. John Mellen. It is not 
unlikely that it was adopted in other places. 



NOTE B. Page 16. 

The excitement on the subject of religion, about this time, in many parts 
of New England, was unprecedented. George Whitefield made his first 
visit to this country in 1740, and was followed by admiring crowds 
wherever he went, and his eloquent declamations produced the most 
astonishing effects. Many of the clergy welcomed him to their pulpits; 
while others refused to give him their countenance, and more than ques- 
tioned the wisdom of his measures, and the perfect integrity of his con- 
duct. 

So strong, however, was the conviction in the minds of many of the 
clergy of the value of his services in awakening a religious interest in 
the community, that a meeting of pastors of churches was called at 
Boston, the day after Commencement, July 7th, 1743, to bear their tes- 
timony and to give their advice in relation to " the late happy revival 
of religion in many parts of the land," &c 

In the copy of the doings of that convention now in my possession, I 
find that but four ministers of Worcester county, namely, Webb of Ux- 
bridge, Seccomb of Harvard, Prentice of Grafton, and Goddard of 
Leicester, were willing to affix their names (and one of these with quali- 
fications) to "the testimony and advice," while the name of Parkman 
of Westborouc*h is associated with the honored names of Colman, and 



\ 



44 



Checkley, and Andrew Eliot, of Boston, with ten or twelve others, who. 
''while they concur with " the testimony "for the substance of it," 
object to it, on the ground that it did not use sufficiently strong language 
in testifying against "itinerancy, or ministers and others introducing 
themselves into other ministers' parishes without their consent." 

In the following year, namely, October 28th, 1744, in an occa- 
sional discourse delivered to his people, on the twentieth anniversary 
of his ordination, from the text, Genesis xxxi. 38, Mr. Parkman uses 
the following language : — " There have been, at several times, some mov- 
ings of the spirit of God among us. But as to the outward tokens 
thereof, by persons joining to the church, I have not been very fond of 
promoting and countenancing great multitudes of these, when it has 
been plain to me, either that it has been very much out of form, or, when 
they have been too raw and unqualified, as being too inexperienced in 
the practical and spiritual part of religion, or not been so much as in- 
doctrinated and instructed in the necessary principles of Christianity." 
And not long after, namely, September 6th. 1747, Mr. Parkman, in a 
funeral sermon, occasioned by the death of the Rev. Dr. Benjamin Col- 
man of Boston, one of the soundest and most judicious ministers of that 
generation, introduces his subject in the following eulogistic strain: — 
'•When principal pillars fall, the fabric shakes! When great and 
eminent men are taken away, the whole land feels a shock ! Our spiritual 
fathers are the chariots of Israel and the horsemen thereof; — our glory 
and our defence. But our fathers, where are they ! and the prophets, 

do they live forever? One of the very brightest lights that ever 

irradiated the Western world has lately been extinguished ; and how 
gloomy and sorrowful hereupon is it ! What a sensible and general loss 
is the death of the excellent, the faithful, and venerable Dr. Colman! " 

President Quincy, in his "History of Harvard University," thus speaks 
of Dr. Cohnan : — " This liberal and distinguished man, who was second 
to none of the clergy of that day in character and influence, departed 
full of years and honors, his intellectual light and moral worth un- 
clouded, and his Christian charity brightening to the last; yet none of 
the active, able, professional brethren by whom he was surrounded, 
except his colleague, Samuel Cooper, ever preached, so far as can now 
be ascertained, and no one ever published, a funeral sermon or eulogy 
in token of respect for his memory." — Vol. II. p. 76. 

It seems, that, if he was unnoticed by his brethren in the metropolis, 
a tribute of respect was paid to the good man by a retired country 
minister in the heart of the Commonwealth. 

Every one is at liberty to draw what inference he pleases from the 
facts I have collected. They may serve to throw some light on the char- 
acter of the times, if not on the character of the fust minister of North- 
borough. 



45 



Just as I was preparing to send these notes to the printer, I met 
with the following letter, which I had carefully laid away, enclosed in 
an envelope, some thirty years ago, the very existence of which I had 
forgotten. I think it worth preserving, as a precious relic of olden 
times. All must admire the manly and independent tone of the letter ; and 
I have no doubt, that, while, as we know, it brought the people to see and 
to repair their injustice, it increased their respect and veneration for 
their minister. Some churches in the nineteenth century might be 
profited by the timely reproofs it conveys. 

I may add that the letter was followed by action on the part of the 
precinct, on the 6th of the following August ; and in December, the 
sum of eight pounds, in addition to the hundred pounds already assessed, 
was granted " to the Rev. Mr. Martyn, our worthy pastor.'' 

" To Bezaleel Eager and others, Committee of the North Precinct in 
Westborough. 

"Gentlemen, — You are not strangers to the terms or conditions 
upon which I settled in this place, neither need I tell you that they have 
never yet been complied with on the part of the precinct ; and as you 
have the management of the public affairs of this precinct, I thought it 
therefore not improper to inform you of my uneasiness with respect to 
my salary from year to year. It is an old saying, that sufferers have 
leave to speak ; and as I have been a very great sufferer upon account 
of the non-fulfilment of the contract from year to year, I think this, if 
there was nothing else, would be sufficient to justify me in my present 
complaints, without telling you that I look upon it a real injury to the 
people themselves to make no conscience of fulfilling their engagements. 
For let me tell you, if you have a house for the worship of God, a min- 
ister, and ordinances, only for fashion-sake, you had better be without 
them ; but if you really intend by them to get that good which God de- 
signs by bringing his kingdom so nigh you, how can you expect to reap 
those benefits, while you injure him who is appointed to bring you the 
messages of peace and salvation ? Is it likf* ly that any success will attend 
the means of grace among a people who show a manifest slight and con- 
tempt of them by their backwardness and unwillingness to maintain and 
encourage those that wait at God's altar? For is not the laborer worthy 
of his hire ? Don't you acknowledge this in temporal things ? for if you 
have a laborer for the lowest, meanest sort of work, has he not at least 
his food from day to day ? And why must a minister maintain himself, at 
least nine or ten months of the year, which has all along been the case 
here, or suffer? Is the work of the ministry of so much less value than 
digging in a ditch ! and can you suppose that persons will always think 
that any body they deal with should be better paid than the ambassador 






46 



of Christ ; and that, if they keep their word and make good their prom- 
ises to others, no matter whether they are kept with ministers or not? 
Is it not likely that this is oftentimes the case? If there had been fewer 
instances of it, even in this place, the conditions upon which I settled 
here had been better performed than they have been. And one great 
reason, though not the only reason, why the payment of my salary hath 
been delayed from year to year hath been the putting off making the rates 
in proper season ; and what apprehensions they that are concerned have 
of public trusts and sacred oaths is very strange to me. 

"Gentlemen, you know something of the difficulties and charges I 
have been put to to settle here, and the very small matter of assistance 
I have had from the people ; and I must needs tell you, that, after all this, 
I take it very hard that I am obliged to take the very money which I 
should make use of to pay the debts I have contracted towards my build- 
ing, to buy the necessaries of life; and not only so, but to be obliged 
through mere necessity to injure those I owe ; whereas, if the precinct 
was faithful and just to their engagements, I need not be brought to this. 
I am very sorry I am obliged to write thus ; but how can I avoid it, when 
I am a continual sufferer, and those whose business it is will not move 
in my behalf? It is a hard case, when a minister is obliged thus to com- 
plain, and what I wish there was no occasion for, but necessity puts me 
upon it; for four years have now passed, and though every year, accord- 
ing to agreement, I was to have my salary at two equal payments, yet 
more than half a year hath always run away, and sometimes more, be- 
fore any rates have been made, and then some months after hath been 
taken up before I have even had any thing of value, which has been 
to my damage one way or other at least forty or fifty pounds a year. But 
if the contract was never intended to be kept by the people, why did they 
ever make it? How vastly different do this people deal with others 
from their dealings with me ! I do not intend any thing I have writ to 
be by way of reproach to you or any particular person, for I write in 
sober sadness ; for it is designed as an introduction to a petition which 
I have to make, and that is, that you would be just to yourselves and me 
for the time to come, and that I may have no more reasons for complaints 
of this nature. I have told you before, and tell you now, that I owe a 
considerable sum yet towards my buildings, and the money I should have 
took to have paid my debts, and which I never had of the people, I was 
obliged to lay out for the necessaries of life ; and do now buy all that 
I expend in my family, which is very discouraging to me. I wish these 
matters might be seriously thought of by you, and not only so, but that 
a meeting may be called and proper steps taken to bring things under a 
better regulation. I know some may say, the times are hard and diffi- 
cult, and if the rates should be made in season, the money could not be 



47 



gathered. To this I answer, I am as sensible of the hardness of the 
times, and have as much reason, under my present circumstances, to 
lament it, as any body ; but the times are not equally hard with all ; some 
have money, though others han't; and if the generality would deal as well 
with me as they do with their shoemakers, tailoTS, smiths, and the like, 
I doubt not, though the times are hard, I should be better paid this year 
than I have been in any year past. But supposing the times to be never 
so hard, do you think this reason sufficient for the committee to betray 
their trust, or for the assessors to trifle with a sacred oath ? You must 
remember that I am one party in the covenant with this people, and I 
never yet consented to any alteration of it; and until I do, it ought to be 
fulfilled as near as possible. And were the rates made sooner, from year to 
year, it might be an advantage to the people as well as to me; for, as I 
have something of a farm, a considerable part of my salary might be paid 
in labor, without injuring any body ; but so it is that nobody cares to 
ease their burthen this way till perhaps a year and a half is gone, and 
when they have nothing to do at home they may offer their service to 
me ; and what is still to my damage, some that I have hired to work, 
though there hath been near or quite six months of the year gone, and 
sometimes more, have insisted upon their wages, which I have paid them 
in money, when there has been no reason for it but because there was no 
rate made. Many more grievous things of the like nature I could tell of, 
were it likely to do any good. Upon the whole, I pray you would take 
this matter into consideration, and let what is amiss be rectified as soon 
as possible. 

" From your suffering pastor, 

" Jno. Martyn. 
" Westhorough, June 23, 1750." 



NOTE C. Page 23. 

The term " orthodox " is found in the original church covenant, sub- 
scribed by the Rev. Mr. Martyn, and others, at the formation of this church ; 
and I have said that it was a very good term, and ought not to be appro- 
priated by any one denomination, or any body of believers, as belonging 
exclusively to them. I do not doubt, however, that it was, at the time, 
commonly applied to the doctrines of Calvinism, or of the Westminster 
Divines, which were received, at least theoretically, by ministers and 
churches generally, throughout New England ; and which were publicly 
controverted or openly rejected but by few, till a somewhat later period. 
To some ministers of that day these doctrines were peculiarly dear, and 



48 



were preached with great vehemence and power. By others, probably, 
they were held with no very tenacious grasp, — were seldom introduced 
into their public discourses, or were so softened down and modified as to 
lose much of their sternness and repulsiveness. I have read several of the 
manuscript sermons of the Rev. Mr. Parkman of Westborough, which I 
found, to my great surprise, almost unobjectionable on the score of doc- 
trine. Mr. Martyn may have been a Calvinist of the strictest sort, but 
I have had no evidence to convince me that such was the fact; and I have 
never supposed that strict Calvinism extensively prevailed in Northbor- 
ough, either during the ministry of Mr. Martyn, or that of his immediate 
successor. I learned, by tradition, when I first came to this place, that, 
in the earlier part of Mr. Whitney's ministry, a few who held Calvinistic 
views were dissatisfied with Mr. Whitney, on account of his leaning to 
Arminianism ; and I have understood, that, at a subsequent period, an 
attempt was made by several young men of Calvinistic views to intro- 
duce those views by appointing religious meetings at private houses, in 
opposition to Mr. Whitney's wishes; but I believe that they found little 
sympathy with the public, and that liberal sentiments continued to pre- 
vail till the commencement of my ministry. Great efforts were then 
made, chiefly by persons in neighbouring towns, to prejudice the people 
here against Unitarianism, and to prevent my settlement on that ground ; 
the result of which may be gathered from the fact, that only eleven votes 
out of one hundred and eight were cast against the candidate for set- 
tlement, and several of those were given by men who afterwards 
proved to be among the firmest friends and supporters of the man whom 
they opposed. 

If the Rev. Mr. Martyn and his people generally were Calvinists, which 
is not proved by their use of "Orthodox Catechisms," — since I doubt 
whether there were any other catechisms in use in the New England 
churches of that day than those of the Westminster Divines, which in many 
churches were not laid aside till long after the peculiar doctrines of Calvin- 
ism had been discarded both by ministers and people, — if, I say, Mr. Mar- 
tyn and his people were Calvinists, there must have been a great, and, con- 
sidering the staid habits of the people, a most surprising, change in the sen- 
timents of the latter, within a brief period, in order to account for the state 
of things during Mr. Whitney's ministry, to which I have adverted. But 
the truth is, Calvinism and Orthodoxy are not convertible terms. The 
popular theology is accounted Orthodoxy. And this, as is well known, 
varies from age to age. Calvinism cannot vary. It is one thing, and not 
many. There is, properly speaking, no high or loiv, strict or loose, ex- 
travagant or moderate, Calvinism. For the term applies to what is fixed 
and definite, namely, to the system of theological dogmas held and taught 
by John Calvin of Geneva. Now Calvinism may be orthodoxy in one 



49 



age, but it is not orthodoxy here and everywhere, now and always. 
The theology of the Westminster Catechism, which I studied, but never 
understood, when I was a child, nor believed then, or since I became a 
man, was accounted orthodoxy among the New England churches a cen- 
tury ago; but is it received fully, in all its length and breadth and depth 
of meaning, by those who would appropriate that title now ? I think not. 
The term orthodoxy literally means right doctrine or opinion, and ortho- 
doxy has had so many mutations and phases, that it seems to me that I 
should not be chargeable with unpardonable arrogance, should I claim for 
the sentiments, which I honestly hold and openly advocate, the title of 
orthodox. Should I make that claim, however, I should do it with the 
express recognition of the equal claims of my Christian brethren who as 
honestly hold and as openly advocate other views, — holding as I do, that 
no denomination, no section of the Christian church, monopolizes the 
truth, and that, if I have a right to differ from my brother, he has as good 
a right to differ from me, - — that we both have one Master in heaven, and 
that to his own Master every man standeth or falleth. 

One thing is certain, — the church of which I am the pastor has never 
had a Calvinisiic, or even a Trinitarian, covenant or creed. I have in my 
possession, not a copy or a fac-simile, but the identical church covenant, with 
the autograph signatures of the original ten members, following that of 
Mr. Martyn himself, to which were added afterwards three other auto- 
graph names, namely, Josiah Bowker, Paul Newton, and William Hol- 
loway. It was put into my hands, with the church records and other 
papers, by the late Deacon Nahum Fay, who had acted as clerk of the 
church after the death of Mr. Whitney, and while it was destitute of a 
pastor. Tn this venerable document, the second article, which prescribes 
the use of orthodox catechisms, is stricken out by a mark of the pen ; 
when, or by whom, I am unable to say. Neither can I tell how it es- 
caped the flames which destroyed the other church records, together with 
the house and goods of the Rev. Mr. Whitney, in 1780. That it was 
preserved, and that it is the original document, and not a copy, is evident 
on the slightest inspection. 

This covenant was superseded by the one which was in use at the 
commencement of my ministry, and that again by the one that was intro- 
duced by the present pastor, in 1817; neither of which is more or less 
liberal than the original covenant, and to either of which I suppose any 
conscientious Trinitarian or Calvinist might assent. 

Our church is not, and never was, a sectarian church ; and there is 
nothing in its organization or constitution which requires that either the 
pastor or the members of it should hold this or that particular system of 
religious belief. It admits of change. It is an Independent Congrega- 
tional church. It professes to adhere to the two great principles of Prot- 
7 



50 



estantism — the sufficiency of the Scriptures, and the right of private judg- 
ment. It does not aim to secure a uniformity of faith among its members; 
all of whom are allowed and encouraged to examine for themselves, and 
who are subjected to no church censure, and no loss of caste, and no 
social disadvantage, in case they should depart from the views which are 
entertained by the pastor or by the majority of the brethren. We hold 
to freedom and progress in religion as well as in other matters, and be- 
lieve, that, much as religious freedom has been infringed upon, there has 
been progress in religious knowledge, not in this church only, but in the 
churches of New England generally, during the century which we have 
been reviewing ; and further, that progress should continue to be the ob- 
ject and aim of all the disciples of Christ. We do not doubt that those 
who shall come after us will have clearer, more enlarged, and rational 
views of the doctrine of Christ than any to which the human mind has 
yet attained. We would not take any system of theology that has 
been embodied in human creeds, or that has been advocated by the most 
eminent divines, even of our own faith, and transmit it, in a stereotyped 
form, to future generations. For we believe that " more light is yet to 
break forth from God's holy word," which the darkness of the nine- 
teenth century comprehendeth not, but which shall illuminate and bless 
future generations. The Christianity of Christ is immutable ; but the 
Christianity of the church, the Christianity of creeds, varies from age to 
age ; and it may be late, if ever, that the one shall be brought into an 
exact conformity with the other. 

I trust I shall be pardoned, if I add to this extended note the following 
sentiments of the venerable Robinson, of Leyden, taken from his cele- 
brated farewell discourse to our Pilgrim fathers, as reported by Governor 
Winslow, who was present and heard it ; and which appeared in print, 
for the first time, in 1646, just two hundred years ago. 

"He charged us before God and his blessed angels to follow him no 
farther than he followed Christ ; and, if God should reveal any thing to 
us by any other instrument of his, to be as ready to receive it as ever we 
were to receive any truth by his ministry ; for he was very confident the 
Lord had more truth and light yet to break forth out of his holy word. 
He took occasion, also, miserably to bewail the state and condition of the 
reformed churches, who were come to a period in religion, and would go 
no further than the instruments of their reformation. As, for example, 
the Lutherans, they could not be drawn to go beyond what Luther saw ; 
for whatever part of God's will he had further imparted and revealed to 
Calvin, they will rather die than embrace it. And so also, saith he, you 
see the Calvinists, they stick where he left them ; a misery much to be 
lamented ; for though they were precious shining lights in their times, 
yet God had not revealed his whole will to them ; and were they now 



51 



living, saith he, they would be as ready and willing to embrace further 
light, as that they had received. Here also he put us in mind of our 
church covenant, at least, that part of it whereby we promise and cove- 
nant with God, and one with another, to receive whatsoever light or 
truth shall be made known to us from his written word ; but witbal ex- 
horted us to take heed what we received for truth, and well to examine 
and compare it with other scriptures of truth before we received it. For, 
saith he, it is not possible the Christian world should come so lately out 
of such antichristian darkness, and that full perfection of knowledge 
should break forth at once." 

" Words," said Dr. Prince, of Boston, one hundred years ago, " al- 
most astonishing, in that age of low and universal bigotry." Would that 
the spirit which they breathe might be infused into all the New England 
churches of the nineteenth century ! 



NOTE D. Page 28. 

The following votes of the precinct, passed at different dates, may re- 
mind us of our superior privileges, while they carry us back to " a day 
of small things." 

" December 31st, 1744. Voted to build a meeting-house. 

" Voted, that the meeting-house should be set on the most convenient 
spot on a corner of land between the road coming from Nathaniel Oak's, 
and the road coming down from Benjamin Lull's, and leading down to 
Cold Harbour Bridge. 

" Voted, that the meeting-house should be forty-six feet in length, and 
thirty-six feet in wide, and twenty feet post. 

" Voted and granted the sum of fifty pounds lawful money [$ 16G.66], 
to be paid in money, labor, or timber for building the meeting-house." 

"April 26th, 1745. Voted to raise the meeting-house on Tuesday 
next, to begin at nine o'clock in the morning. 

" Voted, that every man should provide according as he was spirited." 

"August 26th, 1745. Voted and allowed six shillings [twenty-five 
cents] for scoring timber, and six shillings and six pence [twenty-seven 
cents] for hewing, and eight shillings [thirty-three cents], per day, for 
framing, boarding, and shingling." 

" November 17th, 1746. Put to vote to see if they would lay the 
meeting-house floor. Passed in the negative. 

" Put to vote to see if the precinct would glaze the meeting-house 
forthwith, or as soon as glass can be provided. Passed in the negative. 

" Desolved the meeting. " 



52 



" December 29th, 1746. Voted and allowed to Lieutenant William 
Holloway, for entertaining the council at the ordination, £ 20, 16 s." 

" June 8th, 1747. It was put to vote to see if they would buld the 
pulpit, past in the nigitive. 

" Voted and granted the sum of £ 150, old tenor, for glazing and fin- 
ishing the meeting-house." 

" September 4th, 1747. Voted to build the pulpit, the deacons' seat, 
and the minister's pue." 

" January 30th, 1748. It was put to vote to see if the precinct will have 
as many pues as can be built by the walls of the meeting-house with 
conveniency, and fouer more in the hind part of the body of seats. 
Past in the affirmative. 

" The precinct voted to build the body of seats in the meeting-house 
by the last day of May." 

" September 4th, 1749. It was put to vote to see if the precinct would 
build the gallary stairs and lay the gallary flors, and build the brest 
work of the gallary by the last of next October, come twelve months. 
Past in the affirmative. 

" It was put to vote to see if the precinct will grant the pue ground in 
the meeting-house to those who have paid most on real and personal 
estate, and one poll only, to what hath been already don to the meeting- 
house, they building them by the last of next October, come twelve 
months, or forfeit the ground to the precinct's use again. Past in the 
affirmitive." 

" November 13th, 1749. Voted, that they would have twenty pues in 
the meeting-house." 

August 13th, 1752. A committee, chosen for that purpose, reported 
the following list of persons, who were the highest payers on real and 
personal estate, &c, to whom, in the order they are named, the choice of 
few ground in the meeting-house was allotted. 

Lieut. William Holloway. Lieut. Bezaleel Eager. 

Capt. James Eager. Jesse Brigham. 

James Ball. Gershom Fay. 

Samuel Gamwell. Samuel Allen. 

Cornet Simeon Hay ward. Thomas Billings. 

Pelatiah Rice. James Eager, Jr. 

Deacon Matthias Rice. John McAllister. 

Nathan Ball. Deacon Jonathan Livermore. 

Jacob Rice. Thomas Goodenow. 

Timothy Fay. Seth Hudson. 

Ensign Rice. John Oak. 

Jonathan Bartlett. George Oak. 

.Tosiah Bowker. Seth Rice. 



53 



Finally, on the 11th day of March, 1754, the question was put to see 
if the precinct would finish the meeting-house, and it passed in the 
affirmative. Although it appears, from subsequent votes, that leave was 
given to different individuals to build pews, at their own expense, for 
their own use, in parts of the gallery that were unoccupied. 

November 11th, 1765. The following females petitioned for leave to 
build a pew " behind the long gallery seats in the east end " : — Hannah 
Wood, Dinah Fay, Sarah Rice, Beulah Wood, Mary Brigham, Betty 
Tenney, Abigail Keyes, Anna Goodenow, and Mary Fay ; and leave, of 
course, was granted. 

And, September 6th, 1756, the precinct voted and granted the sum 
of six pounds, ten shillings, and six pence, three farthings, to pay for 
finishing the meeting-house. 

" Tantae molis erat Romanam condere gentem." 

Up to the date of the incorporation of this town, in 1766, nearly all 
the votes of the precinct recorded in the Precinct Book relate strictly to 
parish or ecclesiastical affairs. I do not find a single vote relating to 
schools, highways, bridges, &c. ; and it was not till April, 1766, that a 
proposition was made " to build a pound," and "to provide a reading 
and writing school-master," and, in the following November, " to repair 
their highways by a rate." It seems too, that, even at this date, the 
■pew-ground had not all been taken up, as that " over the women's 
stairs " was granted at this time to John Martyn (son of the minister), 
Henry Gaschett, Timothy Brigham, Silas Rice, Jonathan Bartlett, and 
Gideon Hay ward. 



NOTE E. Page 31. 

I have learned, since the delivery of this Discourse, by an examination 
of the Town Records of Westborough, that, after Northborough became 
a separate precinct, till its incorporation in 1766, the inhabitants of the 
precinct continued to exercise their rights as citizens of Westborough, 
and received their share of the appropriations that were made from time 
to time for the support of schools, for repairing the highways, and for 
other objects of public utility. Hence, there was no necessity for making 
any appropriations, as a precinct, except for the support of public wor- 
ship. 



54 



NOTE F. Page 32. . 

I cannot forbear adding, in a note, a more extended notice of the Rev. 
Mr. Whitney, taken from my " History of Northborough," which is now 
out of print. 

" The services at his ordination were performed by the following per- 
sons : —Rev. Mr. Morse, of the Second Church in Shrewsbury (now 
Boylston), made the Introductory Prayer ; Rev. Mr. Whitney, of Peters- 
ham, the father of the candidate, preached from Matthew xxviii. 19, 20 ; 
Rev. Mr. Parkman, of Westborough, made the Consecrating Prayer, 
and gave the Charge ; Rev. Mr. Smith, of Marlborough, expressed the 
Fellowship of the Churches; and Rev. Mr. Bridge, of Chelmsford, made 
the Concluding Prayer." 

" Distinguished for the urbanity of his manners, easy and familiar in 
his intercourse with his people, hospitable to strangers, and always ready 
to give a hearty welcome to his numerous friends ; punctual to his en- 
gagements, observing an exact method in the distribution of his time, 
having a time for every thing, and doing every thing in its time, without 
hurry or confusion ; conscientious in the discharge of his duties as a 
Christian minister, catholic in his principles and in his conduct, always 
taking an interest in whatever concerned the prosperity of the town and 
the interests of religion, he was, for -many years, the happy minister of 

a kind and an affectionate people He was extensively known by 

his ' History of Worcester County ' ; a work highly valuable for the facts 
it records, many of which would probably have been lost, had they not, 
with great pains and fidelity, been collected and embodied in this work. 

The other printed writings of Mr. Whitney, so far as they have 

come to my knowledge, are, two discourses, delivered July 4th, 1774 ; 
a sermon delivered at a lecture, July 4th, 1776, on publishing the Declar- 
ation of Independence ; a half century sermon, preached June 1st, 1796 ; 
a sermon at the ordination of his son, Rev. Peter Whitney, of Quincy, 
February 5th, 1800; a sermon preached at Shrewsbury, February 16th, 
1810, at the funeral of Mrs. Lucy Sumner, wife of Rev. Joseph Sumner, 
D. D. ; and a notice of a remarkable apple-tree, in the first volume of 
the ' Memoirs of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.' 

" Mrs. Whitney [formerly Julia Lambert, of Reading] survived her 
husband nearly five years, and died at Quincy, while on a visit to her 
children, January 10th, 1821, aged seventy -nine years. All who knew 
Madam Whitney will bear testimony to her worth, and admit that she 
possessed, in no common measure, dignity of manners, sprightliness of 
mind, and goodness of heart. She was, indeed, a most pleasant compan- 
ion and a most valuable friend." 

The writer now adds, that, with a very moderate income, Mr. Whit- 



55 



ney brought up a large family, giving all his children a good education, 
sending one of his five sons to college (Rev. P. Whitney, of Quincy), 
and fitting others for various useful walks, in which some of them still 
continue. Of his four daughters, one died soon after her marriage; the 
oilier three, with two of the sons, settled in Quincy, were all well mar- 
ried, and all survive to this day. Soon after the death of Mr. Whitney, 
a tomb was built by his family, a part of the expense being borne by the 
town, in which his mortal remains were deposited, and a marble slab, by 
a vote of the town, placed over it with the following inscription : — 

"In memory of the Rev. Peter Whitney, pastor of the Religious 
Society in this town, who died February 29th, 1816, in the 72d year 
of his age, and the 49th of his ministry, 

" The esteem and veneration of his flock have devoted this monu- 
ment." 

The present pastor gave some account of his own stewardship in a dis- 
course delivered on the completion of the twenty-fifth year of his min- 
istry, which was printed. 



In preparing the following notice of the Celebration, at the request of 
the Committee for Publication, we have availed ourselves of portions of 
the account published in the " Boston Daily Advertiser," written, while 
the memory of the occasion was fresh, by one who was an interested par- 
taker in it. 

" Northborough, Mass., June 1, 1846. 

" This day is the centennial anniversary of the gathering of the first 
church in this town, and the ordination of its first pastor, Rev. John 
Martyn. As Northborough was politically, for many years after this 
event, the Second Precinct of Westborough, the collecting of the church 
is naturally considered the epoch which most properly marks the begin- 
ning of the independent existence of this beautiful and flourishing town. 
The members of this church and society, therefore, with their friends 
from abroad, have united to-day in a centennial celebration, which has 
passed off. in every regard, most agreeably. 

" If the early settlers of Northborough chose the day for their ordina- 
tion from any regard to the beauty of nature and of the season, it must 
be owned that they were men of quick and pure taste. For Northbor- 
ough itself, beautiful as you know it to be always, can never appear to 
such advantage as in this ' queen of the months,' when all the hills 
around it, and the whole valley, are in the very richest verdure. The 
long storm of last week had brought every thing to perfect freshness, and 



56 



we felt to-day, as one of our friends reminded us, that the very arch of 
heaven was newly opened for the solemnity, — in the sudden dispersion 
of a week's clouds and rain. 

" At eleven o'clock, a large congregation gathered in the church, which 
stands finely on a rising knoll overlooking the village. It is a good old 
New England church, of the older fashion, having been built near the 
site of the first meeting-house, in 1808. Its large dimensions were put 
fully into requisition by an interested audience." 

The following was the order of services. 

ANTHEM. " THE LORD IS IN HIS HOLY TEMPLE." 
ORIGINAL HYMN. BY M. W. L. 

Almighty power ! whose sovereign grace 

Hath kindly led us on our way ; 
Whose guardian care hath blessed our race, 

And brought us to this happy day ; — 

Thou, whose protecting hand hath led 

Our exiled fathers to a home, 
When from their native land they fled ; — 

With grateful hearts to Thee we come. 

Inspire our hearts with sacred fire, 

To warm and gladden all our life, 
That we like them may never tire, 

Till we have conquered in the strife. 

Father ! accept the prayer we raise, 

And humble praises which we bring ; 
And, through the remnant of our days, 

Thy love and goodness may we sing. 

One hundred years have passed away, 

Since first our fathers gathered here ; 
We meet to celebrate the day 

Which to our souls is justly dear. 

And when in dust this house shall lie, 

O, may our spirits, God of Love ! 
Receive a temple in the sky, — 

A heavenly home with Thee above ! 



' * J 



57 

PRAYER, BY REV. W. BARRY, OF FRAMINGHAM. 

HYMN. " IN PLEASANT LANDS ARE FALLEN THE LINES," &C. 

DISCOURSE, BY REV. JOSEPH ALLEN. 

CENTENNIAL HYMN. BY L. C. A. 

One hundred years have passed away, 

Since first, where now we stand, 
To form a Christian brotherhood, 

There met a feeble band : 
" Ten righteous men " alone stood forth 

To consecrate the shrine, 
By holy ties together bound, 

In days of Auld Lang Syne. 

Then met, in that " unfinished hall," 

The matron and the sire, 
To bring their humble offering, 

And light the altar fire : 
Aged and venerable forms 

On benches rude recline, — 
The seats of honor for the men 

That lived in Auld Lang Syne. 

For miles along the untrodden way, 

And through the forest wild, 
In summer's heat and winter's cold, 

The mother led her child 
Far to the plain old meeting-house, 

To hear the word divine ; — 
That was their zeal to worship God, 

In days of Auld Lang Syne. 

But now our fathers, where are they, 

The glory of our youth, — 
The honored pastors of our sires, 

Their guides to heavenly truth 1 
Their children's children, here we meet 

Around this sacred shrine, 
To honor those who bravely toiled 

In days of Auld Lang Syne. 
8 



58 

And now the dark and gloomy " day 

Of our small things " is o'er, 
And we will reach the helping hand 

To those who need it more : 
So children's children, in their turn, 

In future years shall join 
To bless the friends that strengthened them 

In days of Auld Lang Syne. 

PRAYER, BY REV. J. H. ALLEN, OF JAMAICA PLAIN, ROXBURY. 
BENEDICTION. 

After the services, the congregation went in procession to the hotel, 
where an entertainment had been liberally provided by Mr. Blake for 
the large company that were assembled. We were gratified by the pres- 
ence of several strangers, among whom were S. F. Haven and J. C. B. 
Davis, Esqrs., of Worcester, and the Rev. Messrs. Alger of Marl- 
borough, Barry of Framingham, Hale of Worcester, and Brigham of 
Taunton. Many sons and daughters of Northborough had also gathered 
to pay this tribute of affection and respect to the venerable church which 
had blessed their infancy and instructed their youth. 

The following sentiments, with the remarks accompanying, make the 
only record we are able now to give of the intellectual entertainment 
that followed the collation. 

1. The Day, — which calls together fathers, mothers, and children, 
grateful to those who established the institutions of religion here, and 
pledged to sustain and transmit them to ages yet to come. 

2. The Memory of John Martyn and Peter Whitney. They labored 
in the vineyard of their Master ; they were faithful servants ; they have 
gone to give an account of their stewardship. 

To this the Rev. Mr. Allen replied, by speaking, in a few appropriate 
and respectful words, of his two predecessors, whose labors had laid the 
foundation and prepared the way for the religious education of the town ; 
and of the duty which now devolves upon us, of preserving faithfully 
the heritage we have received from our fathers. 

3. The Memory of Jonathan Livermore, — the first deacon of this 
church, and the first clerk of this precinct, — a faithful public servant, a 
true man, and one that feared God, with his household. The fidelity 
and piety of the old man have been transmitted to his children's children. 

The Rev. William Barry, of Framingham, responded to this, regretting 
the absence of the Rev. A. A. Livermore, of Keene (a descendant of Dea- 



59 



con Livermore), and expressed his interest and gratification in the pro- 
ceedings of the day. 

4. The Memory of Deacons Isaac Davis and Nahum Fay, — whose 
integrity, piety, and religious trust are worthy of the imitation of every 
religious community. 

This sentiment called forth F. W. Gale, Esq., of Worcester, a native 
of Northborough, and grandson of Deacon Davis. He spoke of his for- 
mer desertion of New England for the West, as if a better home could 
be found anywhere than in old Massachusetts; and earnestly besought 
the young men of his native town to remain faithful to their duty to the 
place of their birth. 

5. Hon. John Davis. Though reared among us, we are too generous 
to claim him for our own. He belongs to his country. The people ap- 
preciate his worth. 

A letter was here read from the Hon. John Davis, expressing his re- 
gret at not being able to attend our celebration, his strong sympathy with 
the spirit of the day, and his interest in the place of his boyhood. His 
son, J. C. B. Davis, Esq., of Worcester, being present, spoke modestly 
of his connection with our distinguished townsman, and claimed a share 
in whatever concerns the town to which he is bound by so wide a rela- 
tionship. A letter was also read from S. Greele, Esq., of Boston, who 
was unable to join (as he had been invited to do) in the festivities of 
the day. 

6. Marlborough, — the ancient plantation incorporated in 1660. She 
comes by her representative, to congratulate her children that Christian 
institutions are sustained in their purity amongst them. 

This was responded to by the Rev. Mr. Alger, of Marlborough, whose 
remarks harmonized well with the spirit of the time and occasion. 

7. The American Antiquarian Society. In its birth, the pride of our 
county ; in its youth, an honor to our State ; in its maturity, an ornament 
to our country. 

S. F. Haven Esq., of Worcester, Secretary of the Antiquarian So- 
ciety, being called forth by this sentiment, spoke at some length of the in- 
terest and value of antiquarian pursuits ; of the services rendered in this 
regard by the New England clergy, among whom he made honorable 
mention of the ministers of this town ; and of the true respect to our 
ancestry, as distinguished from the foolish imitations sometimes found of 
the emblems of European heraldry. 

8. The Clergy, — set apart to minister at the altar, and to offer the 
sacrifices of the people; — may they always be found with clean hands 
and with pure hearts, and devoted to the great work of their Master. 

The Rev. C. H. Brigham, of Taunton, a descendant of one of the old 
families of this neighbourhood, replied to this sentiment in a strain of 



60 



pleasant remarks, — speaking in particular of the harmony and stability 
by which the church in Northborough has been honorably distinguished, in 
contrast with many others, as shown by the fact, that no minister has been 
dismissed, and that the present is only the third of those whose united 
ministries have already filled a century. 

9. The Gassett Fund, — a noble gift from a cheerful giver; — may it 
never prove a source of dissension, but be the means of propagating a 
true faith that shall be a little leaven to leaven the whole lump. 

10. New England, — the best country God ever gave to a people ; — 
may we, who have received it from the hands of our ancestors, transmit 
it to posterity, with its customs, laws, and government, improved with 
the advancement of the ages. 

The Rev. E. E. Hale, of Worcester, here spoke with great interest of 
his recent establishment in Worcester county, truly regarded as the heart 
of New England, and of his pleasure in being thus entitled to respond to 
that call. After some remarks characterized by hearty good feeling and 
earnestness, he called our attention, by a bold and striking figure, to the 
great thought of that progress of the human mind through centuries, 
indicated in this centennial celebration. The middle of each century has 
been said to be marked by some great epoch in history, — as the sixteenth 
by the Reformation, the seventeenth by the struggle for liberty in Eng- 
land, and the nineteenth by the wide diffusion of freedom and general 
ideas. As in the great trigonometrical survey of our State, by a con- 
certed series of observations, a signal, shown upon Mount Adams in the 
extreme west, is repeated on Wachusett in the centre, and so seen from 
the Blue Hills near the shore, spanning the State in two great strides ; 
— so the eighteenth century, marked by the founding of New England 
churches, serves as a middle station, interposed between the seventeenth 
and nineteenth, to transmit the reflected light of the past. 

11. Our Pastor, — a watchful sentinel, always at his post; a good 
shepherd, leading his sheep into green pastures; a faithful steward, al- 
ways ready to give an account of his stewardship. 

In the course of some miscellaneous conversation, the chair abruptly 
called on the Rev. J. H. Allen, of Jamaica Plain. With an allusion to 
the well-known anecdote of Lamb, who said to Coleridge, " I never heard 
you do any thing else but preach," he expressed his regret at being 
known only as a preacher and an unfamiliar guest, where in his boyhood 
he had found a welcome at every fireside ; and his joy at being able now 
to testify his warm personal interest in that spot which would always be to 
him a home. Two places, Northborough and Boston, were with him iden- 
tified with the name of New England ; for their good name he was jealous 
as for his own. And though there seemed cause for fear, sometimes, lest 
the best blood of New England should be all drawn away and poured 



61 



into the great opening veins of the gigantic West, and its ancient pros- 
perity should fail, yet here every thing was so open, generous, fresh, 
and hospitable, that there could be no room left for fear, only for grati- 
tude and hope. He concluded with urging the need of individual char- 
acter, intelligence, and manly independence, as the only safeguard for 
the true well-being of our country. 

12. The Inhabitants of Northborough. May they vie with each other, 
not as followers of Paul, of Apollos, or of Cephas, but as the advocates 
of the great principles of Christianity, not by profession merely, but in 
life and conduct. 

13. (Volunteer, by Mr. Anson Rice.) The Day. This day witnesses 
the church organized by our fathers one hundred years ago, divided into 
three. May the next centennial witness our descendants united in one, 
with one creed, and that founded on the abiding principles, faith, hope, 
and charity. 

14. (Volunteer, by Mr. G. H. Williams.) Our next Centennial, — 
may it dawn on a world without a slave. 

" And may that centennial be the town's centennial in 1866," — was 
the response given, amidst the welcome which this sentiment received 
from the assembled guests. 

Mr. T. P. Allen, of the Cambridge Theological School, being sum- 
moned by an allusion to Dr. Prentice, of Lancaster (mentioned in the 
Discourse), spoke with the design of enforcing the idea of this last 
Christian wish. His remarks were directed to the need of holding up 
that lofty spiritual view of the Christian faith, making religion an affair 
of the character and life, not of creeds, and thus reconciling diversities 
of opinion in real unity of the spirit. 

Dr. Johnson, of Northborough, being called up by a humorous allusion 
to his English namesake of the last century, spoke briefly, but earnestly, 
of that especial object of a true education, to unfold and train the indi- 
vidual character, and develope the characteristic strength and excellence 
of each person. When he sat down, he was greeted by the following 
encomium : — 

" The Dr. Johnson of a hundred years ago, we are sorry to say, some- 
times preached better than he practised ; our Dr. Johnson, we always 
thought till now, practised better than he preached." 

We regret that the sketch offered above is so imperfect, and that we 
cannot give a more distinct account of the remarks which were made. 
They were in a tone corresponding with the spirit of the whole occa- 
sion, and aided to sustain the interest, which did not seem to flag in the 
least, even at the close. Among the speakers were Mr. Nahum Ball, of 
Harvard University, and Messrs. Wood, Lincoln, and Rice, of North- 
borough. Nor should we omit to notice the readiness and skill with 



62 



which the chairman, George C. Davis, Esq., performed the duties of his 
place, or the music which was agreeably interspersed, under the direc- 
tion of Mr. Jairus Lincoln. 

The general direction was given to the remarks by the series of 
" Sentiments " which we have copied above; but besides these, many 
humorous allusions and pleasant sayings came spontaneously with the 
occasion, and cannot be given here. The whole afternoon, from a little 
after one till nearly six, was spent in the free interchange of kind feeling, 
and interesting, sometimes eloquent, remarks ; so that it was the univer- 
sal acknowledgment of those present, that " they had never seen a public 
dinner where the spirit of all was so perfectly kept up, and where every 
speaker entered so fully into the cordial, friendly, hospitable tone of the 
whole celebration." After nearly five hours spent at the table, the whole 
assembly sang, 

" From all that dwell below the skies," 

and, having adjourned to meet at the centennial of the town's incorpora- 
tion, in 1866, separated to their several homes. And thus ended a suc- 
cessful and agreeable celebration, the auspicious beginning of a new 
century. 



Invitations were extended to the other religious societies in town to 
unite with us in the celebration, which, to our very great regret, were 
respectfully declined. It was proposed by the pastor of the First Church, 
at the Parish Meeting in March, that we, as members of the First Parish, 
should waive our right to appropriate the day to ourselves, and that the 
celebration of the first establishment of religious institutions in this town 
should be made a town affair ; and this proposition was seconded by 
the unanimous consent of the persons present, and a committee was ap- 
pointed to confer with individuals of the other societies on the subject. 

In the hope and expectation that our desires in regard to this matter 
might be accomplished, a meeting of the citizens of Northborough, with- 
out distinction of sect, was called just two weeks before the day of the 
celebration, to make all the necessary arrangements for the occasion. 
No members of the other societies attended, and, accordingly, a com- 
mittee of arrangements was chosen from the First Parish. 

Unwilling, however, to leave the matter here, the pastor called per- 
sonally on the Rev. Mr. Wakefield, of the Baptist Church, and addressed a 
note to the Rev. Mr. Houghton, of the Evangelical Congregational Church, 
which, with the reply, are published with the consent of the writers. 

" Northborough, May 29, 1846. 
Dear Sir : — I intended to call on you, but, as the weather is stormy, 



63 



I have concluded to write what I have to say. Without preface, then, 
I hope you will come to our celebration next Monday, and I hope your 
people will come. I was never more in earnest in my life than when I 
expressed my desire that it should be a town affair, and that arrange- 
ments should be made for it in a meeting of the citizens of Northbor- 
ough, such as was called a few days since. Circumstances, over which 
I have no control, have somewhat changed the character of the celebra- 
tion ; but, so far as I have any influence in the matter, it will not be sec- 
tarian in any sense, and I sincerely believe that my Discourse, especially 
what relates to the Rev. Mr. Martyn, will be as acceptable to your peo- 
ple as to mine. 

" I shall be glad to have you make one of the prayers on the occasion. 
I have invited the Rev. Mr. Day, as he is fond of antiquarian lore, and 
as he is the pastor of the church which is the ' mother of us all.' 

" It will give me pleasure to have your people generally with us, on 
that occasion. 

" Perhaps it is as well that the celebration should be conducted by our 
society. The proper centennial for the town will be in 1866, which I 
do not expect to witness. 

" Yours very truly, 

Jos. Allen." 

" Northborough, Monday morning, June 1st, 1846. 
Rev. Mr. Allen. 

" Dear Sir : — Your polite note of the 29th inst. was received on 
Saturday evening, and I am happy of this opportunity to express my 
hearty acknowledgments of your courtesy towards me and my people, 
in this whole matter of the celebration. So far as my own feelings are 
concerned, it is exceedingly unpleasant to be constrained, for any reason, 
to keep aside from an active part in the proceedings of this day. I think 
all my people feel it unpleasant to refuse the courteous invitation which 
has been extended to us by your society, to join them in the commemo- 
ration of the founding of the first church in Northborough. So far as 
the act of commemorating that particular event is concerned, we feel that 
we could do it with all propriety. All know, of course, that that church 
was a Calvinistic church, embracing the same views as those on which 
the church to which I minister is also founded. It is known, also, to the 
world, that we, as a denomination, regard such a foundation as essentially 
different from the foundation of the churches which are now called Uni- 
tarian. And it seems, in our view, — rather in my oivn, for I have heard 
no expression of opinion from my people, — it seems in my view, after 
much deliberation, to be quite inconsistent with our convictions of truth, 



64 



for us to say, as the proposed union would, as I look upon it, make us 
say, that either foundation for a Christian church is equally good. For 
it is known, of course, that the characteristic views of the original church 
are rejected by the church now standing in their place. It seems to me, 
moreover, that any proper celebration of the founding of a church should 
be specifically religious in its character. And in the present case, were 
I to take any part, I should be compelled by courtesy to refrain from 
expressing what I should feel the occasion called for, and could only 
with difficulty avoid a virtual acknowledgment that views which I hold 
to be essentially different are equally deserving of our cordial sanction. 

" I may be mistaken as to the language or import of a union on our part. 
But feeling as I do in respect to it, I must respectfully decline an accept- 
ance of your polite invitation. 

" Wishing you and your people a pleasant and agreeable time in the 
celebration proposed, I am, 

" Respectfully, your humble servant, 

" W. A. Houghton. 

" Rev. Jos. Allen." 

It was a sad disappointment to many that we could not harmoniously 
unite in the celebration of the day. We trust, however, that the refusal 
to accept our cordial invitations does not indicate unkind feelings on their 
part, and will not be suffered to interrupt that harmony which has so 
generally and so happily prevailed in our favored community. 

The note addressed to the Rev. Mr. Day received the following answer : 

" Marlborough, June 8th, 1846. 
" Dear Sir: — Your favor, inviting me to attend the centennial cele- 
bration of the foundation of religious institutions in Northborough, 
reached me on Saturday, consequently not in season for me to return an 
answer before the day arrived. 

" I take the earliest opportunity which my engagements have per- 
mitted, to acknowledge your politeness, and to express the satisfaction it 
would have given me to be present on the occasion. I was called out of 
town, however, in another direction, by the illness of a friend, considered 
near her end. In the hope that the address you delivered will be given 
to the world through the press, 

" I remain very respectfully and truly 
" Yours, &c, 

"George E. Day." 



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